What to do

1. Cut three lengths of the 2cm x 2cm wood, measuring 5cm, 15cm and 18cm. To do so, mark out the lengths in pencil, then clamp the wood to a surface you don't mind messing up a little (cover a section of a table with a protective piece of wood or, preferably, use a work bench) and cut with a junior hacksaw at a right angle.

2. Mark out the three strut templates (pdf) twice on the 3mm plywood sheet. Clamp and cut out the straight, rectangular shapes using the coping saw. Keep moving and re-clamping the plywood as you go, and take your time – this requires a bit of patience, as the plywood is prone to splintering. Set the rectangular struts to one side.

3. Next, you need to work out the diameter of the jam jar opening. Measure across the top of the open jar, and add 2mm. Now redraw the jar holder template (pdf) on 3mm plywood, using this measurement as the diameter of the inner circle. Draw out the rest of the shape, ensuring that the space between the two slits is 2cm. Cut out the rectangle around this shape with the coping saw.

4. On the 12mm plywood, mark out four 15cm x 10cm rectangles and cut them out with the junior hacksaw. These will form the base. You should now have all the plywood elements in the template above roughly cut out.

5. Now for drilling. First, use the 6mm drill bit. Take the 15cm and 18cm lengths of 2cm x 2cm wood, and drill holes at either end, right the way through, about 15mm from the end, and in the middle of the width. These are for the wing nuts.

Figure A State of Craft

6. Now make the corresponding holes in the plywood struts. Drill a hole, still with the 6mm bit, in either end of the two longest struts, 1cm in from the end, and in the centre of the width (fig A).

7. On two of the shorter struts (strut 2, which will go into the base), drill holes at one end only as in step 6.

Figure B state of Craft

8. On the other two short struts, drill, with the 6mm bit, a hole at one end, again 1cm from the end and in the middle of the width. Now switch to the 3mm bit, and drill holes at the other ends, again about 1cm from the end and in the middle of the width (fig B). This will join onto the part that holds the jar.

Figure C State of Craft

9. Now, on one of the 15cm x 10cm base pieces, mark out a rectangle measuring 2cm x 2.6cm at the centre of one 10cm side (fig C). In either inner corner of the rectangle, drill a hole with the 6mm bit.

Figure D State of Craft

10. More drilling! Now to tackle the section at the jar top. Drill holes as shown in fig D. For the four holes around the edge of the circle, use the 6mm bit. It doesn't matter where exactly they are around the circle, so long as they are close to the edge, as these are to help you cut out the circle. Now drill another 6mm hole in the centre of the section next to the circle. Switch to the 3mm bit, and drill the holes in the slit sections, about 1.5cm from the edge. These are to form the slits that will slot onto the top strut. As mentioned before, it is very important that the slits these are 2cm apart, so double-check your measurements before you drill.

11. Now to cut out the circle to hold the jar. With the coping saw, detach the blade at the end furthest away from the handle and thread the blade through one of the 6mm holes. Clamp the piece down and reattach the blade securely. Position the teeth against the line of the circle and start to gently saw around the circle. Re-clamp as you go to get a good position. Once the circle is fully cut out, detach the blade again to remove.

Figure E State of Craft

12. At the other end of this piece, you need to cut two short slits. Clamp again, and use the coping saw to saw two straight lines up to each of the 3mm drilled holes (fig E).

Figure F State of Craft

13. On the struts with the 3mm holes at one end, make the slits as in step 12 (fig F).

14. Now for the top base part, the one with the holes drilled in it. Saw along the straight lines of the 2cm x 2.6cm rectangle, using the drilled holes to help you round the corners.

Figure G State of Craft

15. Now to drill the wire holes in the two longer lengths of 2cm x 2cm wood. On the sides that have no holes drilled into them, drill a hole about 4.5cm from either end. Use the 6mm drill bit and drill at a 45º angle, pointing the drill toward the end of the wood (fig G).

16. And so to sanding. Following the templates, round the corners of the struts that have curves using sandpaper up to your marked out lines. Then gently sand all the cut edges till smooth.

17. Now for gluing. Glue the four base rectangles together with plenty of wood glue, making sure the one with the small rectangle cut out of it is on the top. Clamp and leave to dry. It usually takes about an hour.

Figure H State of Craft

18. Glue the two short struts with just one hole at one end (template 2) to the 5cm length of 2cm x 2cm wood. Lining up the straight edges, so that the curved ends of the plywood stick out of the top, and glue it straight into the space in the base (fig H). If it doesn't fit exactly, sand it down till it does. Leave to dry.

19. Now for the jar. Remove the lid and draw a circle in the centre the same size as the top section of the lampshade holder (the bit that sticks up). Drill a few holes around the inner edge of this circle, and use the tin snips to carefully cut out (it is quite sharp when cut, so watch your hands).

Figure I State of Craft

20. Once the base is fully dry, you can attach all the struts with the bolts and wing nuts. Start with the 18cm length of 2cm x 2cm wood, positioning it between the plywood connected to the base so that the 45º holes drilled at 4.5cm from the end are on the outside edge, and simply push the bolt through the plywood, then the wood and second plywood section, and screw on the wing nut (fig I). Screw it tight enough that the struts will stand up, but so that you can still move it – you might need a screwdriver to hold the screw side still.

21. In the same way add the remaining struts in this order: long plywood struts; 15cm piece of 2cm x 2cm wood (again, the 45º holes at 4.5cm should be on the outside edge); short struts with slits.

Figure J State of Craft

22. Thread the electrical cable through the angled holes, starting at the bottom hole on the side (fig J). Pull the cable through so that you so have about 15cm spare after the last hole.

23. Now you want to wire up the lamp holder, which may or may not come with instructions. At the end of each cable, use a craft knife to carefully score around the fabric covering 3cm from the end and remove, making sure the internal wires are intact. Then strip the fabric cover carefully off the separate wires 6mm from the ends. Twist the exposed copper wires together on each strip. (If you are not confident doing this, ask someone to help, or look it up online.)

24. Thread the jar lid onto the end of the wire, then wire up the electrical connections in the lamp holder. The live wire is brown, blue is neutral, and the green and yellow wire is the earth. The live and neutral wires go into the matching contacts, while earth goes in the separate connector. If in any doubt, please check with someone that you have it wired correctly. Using a flat-headed screwdriver, unscrew the electrical contacts enough to push the wires into place, then screw tight again and pull to check they are secure. Fit the lamp holder together.

25. At the other end of the cable, you want to fit the plug. Open up the plug with a screwdriver and strip the cable as before. Strip the individual cables to 6mm of bare copper wire, and twist. Wire the plug as shown on the diagram supplied with it. Make sure you have wired it correctly and all connections are secure before closing the plug. Add a bulb and check it all works.

Figure K State of Craft

26. Now screw the jar body into the jar holder piece of plywood, and then slot the holder on the struts. Then simply screw the jar together (fig K).

• Tana West is an artist living and working in east London. After studying sculpture at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, making moths from tumble-dryer fluff, she continues to use a mixture of found and fabricated items to create things that are both functional and non-functional, from objects to installations. www.tanawest.co.uk